May 19th, 2009 4:11pm
NYC Popfest w/ The Radio Dept., Cats On Fire, Liechtenstein and More
Frank YangIt seems a bit ridiculous to say that I was in New York City on Friday night with nothing to do, but right up until the middle of last week, it looked like that was what it was going to be. Which isn’t to say I would have spent the evening watching television in my hotel room… but that was certainly not beyond the realm of possibility. I’d been considering hitting up the Friday night show of NYC Popfest, despite not knowing any of the acts on the bill, mainly because Don Hill’s was conveniently located just down Greenwich Ave from my hotel, but when the “special guest” was revealed to be The Radio Dept playing a second show in addition to the one I’d booked this whole trip to see, well that sealed it.
Doors for the show opened some 70 minutes later than scheduled, so there wasn’t hardly anyone inside when local solo act Don Lennon started the evening off. An acoustic singer-songwriter sort, Lennon’s songs were interesting, tuneful and topical and certainly clever, though not especially funny. Which isn’t to suggest that lyrical cleverness needs to be delivered with humour, but Lennon’s narratives seemed to be all set up and no punchline - or maybe he was just more deadpan than I was capable of appreciating. Los Angelenos The Tartans wore their influences and the sound on their cardigan sleeves. The five-piece band were like factory issue twee-pop with bouncy rhythms, boy-girl harmonies, instrument and lead vocal swapping and strategically-placed melodica, glockenspiel and handclaps… but while they certainly nailed the look, they only managed to graze the sound. The Radio Dept, I will cover tomorrow along with their headlining performance at The Bell House in Brooklyn. Patience!
Photos: Cats On Fire, Liechtenstein, The Radio Dept, The Tartans, Don Lennon @ Don Hill’s - May 15, 2009
MP3: Cats On Fire - “Horoscope”
MP3: Liechtenstein - “Roses In The Park”
MP3: The Tartans - “My Baby Doesn’t Care For You”
The Yorkshire Evening Post interviews A Camp’s Nina Persson and Spin has a couple MP3s available to download - the new single and an acoustic version of a track from Colonia.
MP3: A Camp - “Love Has Left The Room”
MP3: A Camp - “I Signed The Line” (Harlem Session)
Denmark’s Mew manage to take the blue ribbon for most ridiculous album title of the year. No More Stories Are Told Today I’m Sorry They Washed Away No More Stories The World Is Grey I’m Tired Let’s Wash Away is out August 25.
Dallas Morning News and Metromix talk to Annie Clark, aka St Vincent.
NPR welcomes AC Newman to the World Cafe for a session.
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